An Assassin's Christmas
by meleemailman
Summary: Seabastian  OC  hunts a Templar on Christmas night, while she reflects back on what brought her to lead such a life as this. set in Rome.


Light snow flutters down towards hundreds of cold-shingled rooftops that make up the religious epicenter of Rome, 1472. The dark onyx of a sky gives way to bright torches and warm bonfires at the private palazzo of the Moretti family. This is Christmastime, a time for celebration. Women in bright, luxurious garments and men in loose tunics dance in dizzying circles as musicians play lutes, tap on tambourines, and fiddle excitedly on violins. Wine is ample, but there are no drunkards here, for this is a party of high society. Everyone here has money, connections, or both. The guards are lax, taken in by the riches and beauty displayed, and no one notices the dark figure upon the rooftop, clutching the frozen shingles as I peer into the noble- filled square.

"Merry Christmas my darling."

Sebastian sang as he pushed open the door and filled the room with the cold smells of the outside. His jet-black hair, though tied in a loose ponytail, still hung in small strings over his face.

"The wind is strong, but-"

"You are not wearing a coat."

"Eh… close enough."

"Divertente uomo!"

Laughing, I helped him out of his outer tunic, and placed it over a chair before being drawn close.

"Now kiss me, like a good wife should, and I shall give you your present early."

I did, and as promised, he held out a small brown package for me to take. I grabbed it eagerly and pulled off the wrapping. Out fell a small pendant, about the size of a single florin and attached to a leather string. On its bronze surface was the raised symbol of the brotherhood, I smiled.

"It's magnifico."

"I thought you might like it… here, let me help you put it on."

"I suppose now I will have to find you something equally pulito."

He hugged me tightly, resting his head on my shoulder.

"It would be nice."

I turned around and looked into his piercing green eyes, though they were a good hand above my own; he looked back and smiled, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"I want you to teach me how to ride."

"You already know how…"

"Side saddle yes, but I want to ride like you do."

He considered this for a few moments, stroking my hair.

"Alright, right after the holiday-"

A knock at the door interrupted him.

"Who, at this time of ni-"

The door burst down, and guards filled the room.

At the first sign of unusual activity, I break from my memory and find myself clutching my necklace tightly; I release it and stretch out my hand, feeling the cold muscles contract before focusing on the task ahead. The host of the party has arrived, and I must pay a visit to him.

Jacopo Moretti is a tall, spindly man with watery eyes that shine with greed. His professionally tailored clothes always hang off of him, making him seem even skinnier. As detestable as the man is, he carries himself well, and he wears his mark proudly on his collar, the mark that singles him out in the crowd as my enemy. Not to mention the man is rich, his purse grown fat from illegal activities that… never happened. His business is money lending, and he sends his personal guard to take care of debtors, and make sure they never loan again.

A few months back I had hired a thief to take out a very expensive loan under a fake name and refuse to pay. Jacopo's guards are out tonight, on a rabbit chase with a false tip that "Emile Pazzaro" was hiding out somewhere across the city; this, this is why I chose tonight.

I stretch out my cramped legs and ready myself. Feeling for loose shingles as I back a few yards from the roof's edge, I take a running jump and plunge into a soft pile of snow previously scooped up by diligent servants. Climbing out of it on the side opposite the party, I unbuckle my belt and all my obvious weaponry, wrap them in a piece of cloth and place them in the snow bank, there are hundreds of people here, not easy to spot someone you're not expecting, even someone as heavily armored as me, but the sign of the brotherhood on my belt makes an easy target in the den of my enemies. I also remove my cape to make as small of a silhouette as possible and begin to make my way through the crowd of smiling, happy partygoers.

"Pazza! What are you doing?"

I refused to turn and face Giovanni, instead I stayed seated on a heavy wooden trunk and watch my house burn, black smoke curling in the air as a small circle of townspeople started gathering.

"Emily… why, what drove you to this?"

He placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed lightly, I wanted to scream at him, how could an Auditore understand these things? Only silent tears came to my eyes as I swallowed the excess saliva collected in my mouth where my tongue had rested only a year before, I turned and looked at him, my face determined. Merry Christmas Sebastian, wherever you are, heaven or hell; I thought as I finally stood and turned from the blaze.

"Alright… alright fine, you've burned it, now what? Now that you've cut yourself off from the world, what, revenge? Is that it? Revenge won't bring your husband back vendicatore, he's been dead for a year now, he's not coming back."

I opened up the wooden chest and pulled out Sebastian's armor, fingering the soft tunic and tough metal plates hidden underneath it. Giovanni's face paled.

"You're not going to… are you… Emily?"

I handed him a small piece of parchment, a pre-written explanation to my actions, he read it quickly, and when he had finished, his face fell, the exact reaction I had expected.

"If this is what you want… Sebastian."

"Sebastian, I should have known you would come but why here, why now?"

I smirk as I close the heavy door behind me, cutting Jacopo off from his guards and the rest of the party, leaving us to "speak' in private. I had followed him through his house as he greeted guests and family members, the man was so poorly guarded it was almost comical; surely a man of his standing had more security than those chasing my ghost across the city!

"You know, the novelties worn off, most of us know you're still alive, you're not… scaring anybody… you're not a ghost anymore, not a feared apparition… and on another note! I… I had nothing to do with the attack on your family!"

I grit my teeth and move closer to him as he backs towards the far wall; he knows why I'm here, he's stalling.

"I don't want to die… you know that… nobody wants to die… caro Dio!"

He trips, falling over a lamp stand and curls up into a ball, sobbing. I stand over him for a few seconds, but my blade refuses to fall. This sad excuse of a man is impossible to kill, no matter how much I tell myself he is my enemy. Finally I turn and leave, but as soon as I open the door, Jacopo sits up.

"Guards! Kill him!"

I realize the trap too late, as I rush towards the window, a guard tackles me, we roll, and his heavy armor knocks my breath away, but my blade finds him. As I attempt to recover more guards find me and pull me too my knees. Jacopo stands in front of me as I struggle… he smirks.

"Onestamente Sebastian, mercy? Those stories about you must be wrong… well most of them, let's see if the others are right."

He pulls my hood off, showing my snarling face; he falls to the ground, a look of true terror on his features as he realizes the truth.

"Non si puo, the wife!"

This is my chance, I spit the small black sphere I have from my mouth and manage to stamp on it, activating a flash of black smoke, and I am immediately released as the guards struggle for breath. I leap from the window, landing in another pile of snow and race away through the streets, I can collect my weapons another day; Merry Christmas Sebastian, thank you for this present, a present of Mercy, Requiescat in pace.


End file.
